Desert Wolf
by Sufferingzombie
Summary: A wolf hanyou named Natalia is slated to be executed in Iwa, but the Tsuchikage has another plan - a political marriage between Iwa's wolf and Suna's premier puppeteer!
1. Introducing Nat

1Natalia knew now. She was going to die.

She stood at the window in the Tsuchikage's office and sighed softly into the warm night as she waited for her 'master' to return from meeting with the council. She knew that the meeting was about what to do with her now that the leader of the civilian council had made their demands known. They would riot and start a civil war that Iwa could scarcely afford unless the ninja council and the Kage agreed to do one thing.

Execute Natalia.

She had known that it would come. Being a half-demon in a society that hated half of her parentage had not made her life any easier, what made it worse was the fact that her heritage was proudly on display when she didn't wear the demonic illusion that hid her proud, erect wolf ears and silky tail from human eyes. Personally, Natalia loved her extra appendages. Her ears sat on top of her head and stood tall, black with forest green tips. Her tail was the same, but if she went into her animal form it would become slightly bushy and the tip would darken from forest green to a full black. It was a form that she truly felt free in, but she knew that she wasn't free. Ever since her parents had been executed by their home village of Kusagakure and her, sold off to Iwa as a slave for the Tsuchikage, she had been a prisoner inside her own skin. The new Tsuchikage liked her and wanted her to be free, but the fact that the head of the council held the key to her freedom made that wish impossible. She didn't necessarily hate calling him master, but he didn't insist on it unless the council was meeting, and otherwise he pretty much left her to her own devices until he needed her for the individually coded 'U-class' missions, the missions that were kage level and reserved only for her. The council had hoped to kill her that way for years, but they hadn't succeeded yet because of her youki. Nat was jolted out of her ruminations by the arrival of the Tsuchikage, looking exhausted and drawn. He slumped down into his chair and tossed his hat into the corner, his robes following in an unceremonious pile.

"Oh Nat, I tried."

Nat simply nodded, knowing that any effort on the Kage's part would have been doomed to fail from the outset.

"What are you going to do Nat?"

Natalia finally turned fully from the window and stared at the one person she could consider a friend.

"What can I do Tsuchikage, but acquiesce to the demands of the council? If they want to execute me then I will walk to the stage with my head held high. It is the only satisfaction that I can have."

The Kage sighed deeply and slouched back into his seat, pondering the problem of his young friend. The Kage had taken over for his predecessor after his death at the hands of a Suna missing nin, which had soured relations between the two countries significantly. The Kage was about as old as Konoha's Professor, so he was looking out for a successor whom he thought would be appropriate to take up the mantle of Tsuchikage. He'd only found one candidate and he was a last resort as he hated Nat as much as the council did. He growled and pushed his mind to think of something to save his young friend. She was only seventeen, she didn't deserve to be executed for what she was born as. He thought long and hard, deep into the night after excusing Nat, though he knew that she had merely ensconced herself into the shadowed corner of the office. She never left before him and often stood watch over him at night, as she needed far less sleep than humans did. He thought well into the next morning, refusing to meet with anyone until he had figured something out. It was nearly eight in the morning when some faded memory tickled his mind and he stood abruptly and strode to his library, fingering various scrolls until he found one covered in dust and crumbling from the poor upkeep of the library. He made a mental note to have someone fix it so that the scrolls didn't deteriorate in there before pulling out the scroll he wanted and striding back to his desk, breaking the seal in the shape of an hour glass as he went. Nat showed herself, pulling away from the shadows to stand behind the Kage and read the scroll over his shoulder as she was wont to do.

"I've got it Nat! This is how we'll save you!"

The woman cocked an eyebrow at her master and nodded for him to continue.

"This is an arranged marriage between a son of the Kazekage and a citizen of Iwagakure. If I can talk the current Kazekage into honoring this agreement, I can get you in as a citizen of Suna and the council will have no say!"

"A marriage? Who would marry a wolf hanyou?"

"Who says they have to know?"

"It isn't really something one can hide Master."

The Kage waved her concerns off and shrugged.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes. Now go pack, we're going to Suna."

"Perhaps a missive to the Kazekage would be prudent?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, that would probably help us wouldn't it?"

Nat rolled her eyes slightly in profound affection as the Kage pulled out a scroll and began writing his letter to the Godaime Kazekage, a man by the name of Sabaku no Gaara, while Nat went to pack her bags for an extended stay in the desert.


	2. Suna

1 Chapter Two

Nat loved being outside of Iwa, seeing something besides rocks all the time, but she wasn't

sure she liked the humidity under the trees at the border of Fire country and Wind country.

"Master, why did you decide to take the route through Hi no Kuni? Wouldn't it have been

simpler to go straight through Earth?"

Before the Kage could answer her, the voice of the head councilman, and the man who was

spearheading the movement to have her executed, spoke up in his dry, rusted voice.

"You dare to question the Kage?! Calypso ichi!"

Natalia shouted briefly as a katon seal on the collar around her neck heated up to being white-hot,

burning into the scar that was already there. She resisted the urge to grab at her neck to avoid

burning her hands again and simply gritted her teeth and rode out the pain, knowing that the

Kage would put a stop to it soon enough. The smell of burning flesh was heavy in the air by the

time the Kage was able to deactivate the collar and Nat was on her hands and knees panting in

pain when the collar cooled and the seal stopped glowing. She slowly climbed to her feet and

tossed her hair, black with green streaks, over her shoulder and out of her face, turning to face the

trail. No one said anything for the remainder of the trip to Suna.

Gaara wasn't quite sure what to do about the missive that had come via hawk to his office

window. He knew intimately that the relations between Suna and Iwa were horribly strained, but

he wasn't sure that an arranged marriage would be the way to solve the problem. Besides which,

who did his father marry off?

He started imperceptively when Temari and Kankuro walked into his office without knocking,

merely rolling his eyes and continuing to ruminate on the problem at hand. Who could his father

have planned to marry off to cement this treaty? He didn't know who the Tsuchikage was

bringing with him, other then the fact that it was a female, and so he didn't know who wouldn't

mind being placed into a political marriage. He didn't know of anyone who would accept the

mission, so he decided to wait to make his decision until they met the Iwa citizen in question.

Having decided on that Gaara looked up at his siblings and glared, as per usual.

"Can I help you two?"

Temari sighed, exasperated at how forgetful her little brother could be.

"Gaara, the Godaime Hokage is here. Did you forget that she was coming for a meeting?"

Gaara sighed and rubbed at his forehead hard in an effort to ward off the headache that was

beginning to grow there. He did not want to meet with Tsunade right now, but she might have an

idea as to what he could do about the treaty with Iwa.

"Send her in. I have something I need to ask her about anyway."

Natalia's breaths came harshly as she ran through the desert, the Tsuchikage at her side, council

man on her back. They had been running for two days non stop, since they'd been attacked by a

large group of nuke-nin. Nat and the Tsuchikage could have taken them if the councilman had

not insisted on putting Nat in her place when she tried to order him out of the line of fire. He had

activated the first and second stages of her collar, sending her writhing to the ground as the nuke-

nin began their attack. By the time she'd been able to get up she'd been required to take a hit for

the Tsuchikage before killing the group of nuke-nin. The councilman had fainted from the stress

and Nat had willingly taken him up as the Kage had begun to run for their destination. She was

tiring fast, as was the Kage beside her, but there was nothing else to do. They knew that the nins

they had killed were part of a larger organization of powerful nuke-nins and that the deaths of a

full squad would rain down terribly on them if they were caught. Nat suddenly stopped and

cocked her head, the Kage sliding to a stop three yards ahead.

"What is it Nat?"

"The wolves. They...we can slow down a bit. There is a distraction with the squirrels and

the wolves are covering our tracks."

The Kage nodded and the two again began running, but much slower than before.

If the wolves were covering their tracks then they could rest assured that no one would be able to

track them. It didn't take long from then for the two to see the walls of sunagakure rise above the

sand dunes, both breathing nearly silent sighs of relief.

Gaara and Tsunade sat in silence within the Kazekage's office, both ruminating the problem the

young Kage had presented to his companion.

"I don't really know what to tell you Gaara. If you think it is a good idea to ally with Iwa

then you have to do what is best for Suna. You need to make sure that they know that you already

have a treaty with Konoha and see what the Tsuchikage wants to do with that information.

Really, all you can do is meet with the man and try to work out something that will benefit both

of you."

Tsunade was about to continue when the door burst open and a chuunin, gasping for breath,

stood in the doorway.

"Kazekage-sama! The Tsuchikage has just arrived with two others. One of them is

injured!"

Both Kages shunshinned from the room to the front gates, Tsunade's instincts as a healer guiding

her to the young woman standing beside the aged Tsuchikage.

"Where is the injured party?"

The woman looked at the Hokage, her bright, forest green eyes assessing the Hokage before she

nodded slightly to the man on her back.

"Aishiki-sama. He fainted when we were attacked three days ago and hasn't woken since.

I am no medic, so I am not sure what is wrong."

The woman's voice was soft, but it had a rasp to it that was rare in women's voices. Tsunade

noticed that she never really made eye contact with her, always looking slightly down or to the

side, an interesting observation, but not really her concern right now. She quickly, but carefully,

grabbed the old man off of the woman's back and laid him in the sand, moving her green-colored

hands over his still form. The old man had had a minor heart attack, which was why he was still

unconscious. The formidable Hokage turned to tell the Tsuchikage, but stopped when she saw a

wound on the woman's side, slowly pumping blood with every heartbeat. The woman didn't

seem to notice it, but when Tsunade touched it softly with her chakra-covered hand the woman

started. Her eyes once again did not meet Tsunade's, but she turned her head to look at a spot just

to the right of the Hokage's face.

"You're injured."

"Negligible. Take care of the councilman."

Tsunade saw that the woman would not change her mind and proceeded to do what she could on

site for the councilman. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the woman walked to the

Tsuchikage, who peered at her wound.

"Nat, your side-"

"It is fine Master. It will heal in moments."

"It has been bleeding for three days. There is something wrong."

Nat looked down at the wound before tilting her face to the sky. She took a deep breath and

Tsunade looked at Gaara, who met her gaze, and both watched as the wound glowed a bright

black before searing itself closed, leaving a great scar behind. She was breathing a bit harder, but

managed a wan smile for her Master.

"It was harder then I thought it would be. Master, are you alright?"

"Of course I am Nat. I may not be young anymore, but I've still got it."

Nat's smile widened and she nodded to the old Kage before falling a step behind him and

becoming his bodyguard once again, watching and waiting for his meeting with the Kazekage.

She was surprised to see the Hokage there, but was capable of hiding her surprise well enough

that no one noticed it. She watched as the Tsuchikage greeted the other two Kages and the

Kazekage gestured for them to retire to his office for a meeting. She promptly followed them,

ignoring the odd looks sent her way by the Kages of Konoha and Suna. When they reached the

office, Natalia moved to claim a corner when the raised hand of her Kage stopped her.

"Nat, I think that you should look around Suna for a while."

"But Master!"

"No buts Nat. Go. I shouldn't need a bodyguard while in the presence of two of the most

powerful Kages in the shinobi countries."

Nat looked unconvinced, but eventually, her training in following the orders of her Kage

overrode that and she nodded before bowing and vanishing into a cloud of shadow. The

Tsuchikage sighed and slumped back into his seat for a moment before looking up and

addressing the two other Kages.

"I apologize in advance for her, but she is very protective of me. Ever since the Kage

before me died and I instated her as my personal guard she has taken that role very, very

seriously."

Gaara nodded, knowing that his sister was the same way with him, and took a deep breath before

asking the Iwa Kage what he was doing in Suna.

"We expected you to arrive two days from now, so there are limited accommodations we

can make for you on such short notice."

The Tsuchikage waved his hand in a dismissive manner and smiled.

"No worries Kazekage-sama. Nat and I have our tents and camping supplies, those should

be fine for now."

Gaara nodded and waved at him to continue. Tsunade remained silent in her seat, slowly sipping

a cup of tea from the tray on the desk.

"As you know I am here to negotiate the marriage of one of my people to the young man

named Kankuro. It is not for political ties that I make this request, though that is what I've told

my council, but to save the life of one who is very dear to me." The two Kages were surprised to

see a tear make its way down his face before he wiped it away and continued.

"Natalia has been sentenced to death by the shinobi council because the civilian council

has threatened Civil War. They have always hated Nat, but...with the induction of a man called

Hoshimi into their head position I fear they have become more arrogant, if that is possible. They

demanded her death or they would revolt and, I will admit, Iwa cannot afford a revolt. She is

resigned to the fact that she will die when we return home, but I simply cannot accept that."

Gaara and Tsunade looked at one another and Gaara turned to the Tsuchikage.

"Why are they so determined to have her killed?"

The Kage from Iwa sighed deeply and slumped.

"I guess Nat was right, we can't hide this. Nat is...Nat is special. Before I tell you her

story though, I will ask that this go no further than here until Nat says that it is alright."

"Very well, I agree to this. Tsunade-sama?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Very well. Nat is originally from Kusa, her parents were two of their most powerful and

famous shinobi: Ookami no Kage and Ookami no Yuri. They were the heroes of Kusa...until the

village found out that Kage was a wolf demon."

Tsunade sat up straight at that and Gaara stiffened.

"What?!"

Their combined voiced echoed slightly within the office and the Tsuchikage nodded.

"Yes. Kage was a full-blooded wolf demon. He had come to Kusa as a traveler, trying to

find a place to live, when he met Yuri and fell in love. The thing about wolves, demons as well,

is that they mate for life and Kage loved Yuri with everything he was. They eventually married

and had Nat, but when Nat was five her father's identity was discovered and the village had both

him and Yuri executed regardless of the fact that the two were the most loyal shinobi to come out

of Kusa in years. After their deaths the Kusakage didn't know what to do with Nat, so instead of

dealing with her himself he sold her to the previous Tsuchikage-"

"Sold? As in a slave?"

Tsunade's sharp, angry voice startled both Gaara and the Tsuchikage and both winced and

pushed away from the angered Kage. The Tsuchikage's response was careful and hesitant, lest he

anger her even more.

"Yes. As a slave. The agreement between them was that she would become the property

of the Tsuchikage and that she was never to be trained in the ninja arts. Luckily for me that was

never put into writing and the Yondaime Tsuchikage died before the agreement could be put on

paper. I trained her and placed her as my bodyguard, but the council has always watched and

waited for their chance to get rid of her."

The Tsuchikage sighed again and placed a hand to his forehead, exhausted both physically and

emotionally.

"I cannot allow them to execute her. I will not. One way or another she will live."

"And if neither of us agree to a marriage? What will you do then?"

Tsunade was startled by the fire and anger in his eyes when he turned to address her question.

"Well then on the way back to Iwa Nat will be killed in the defense of myself and the

councilman. Where her spirit goes from there is none of my concern."

Nat liked Suna. A lot.

She walked down the main road leading through the village and had to smile at the brightly

colored awnings and building fronts that lined the street, vendors selling their wares. The smile

was a wan one, more of a smirk than a smile, but it was there and it made Nat happy to know that

she could still smile. She looked from left to right, her senses still fully alert, but her eyes taking

in the unique sights of the Suna marketplace. She could hear the children laughing in an alleyway

and her eyes softened until she heard another voice coming from the alleyway.

"Come children, let me show you something."

That voice...was vaguely familiar and very disturbing. Nat's hackles rose and she felt her ears

prick under the demon illusion she used to cover them. Her tail stiffened and she barely resisted

the urge to growl. She pulled in a generous amount of air through her nose and when it registered

that she _did_ recognize the scent she'd gotten she let the growl loose, startling many of the people

walking around her. She stalked to the alley, so angry that she didn't notice a certain puppet

master and wind mistress following her in the shadows. Nat placed her back to the wall and

peeked around the corner of the alley, instantly enraged by what she saw. The scent was that of

someone she _knew_ she should have killed years ago, one Hikotu Kira. Hikotu Kira was an Iwa

nuke nin with a penchant and a love for young children and playing with their blood. Nat had

been ordered to find the bastard after six small children in a town just outside Iwa's walls had

been found mutilated beyond recognition and drained of blood. Needless to say she had been

pissed beyond anything else when she'd found him and found his seventh victim, already dead.

She had dealt with him brutally, but she had left him alive as ordered and merely brought him

back to Iwa for a trial. He was banished from Earth country, despite the fact that he was an A-

ranked nin, and told that if he was ever seen in Earth again he would be killed on sight. Nat had

looked and hoped that her network of informants would see him in Earth country, but the man

had vanished...until now. She felt the rage building in her stomach and decided that, once she got

the children away from him, that he wouldn't live past this day. Boldly Nat stepped out from

behind the building, growling deep in her throat and allowing her eyes to glow like wolves eyes.

The children, scared as they were, were the first to notice her presence. They had been watching

in terror as the man that had approached them had grabbed little Miko and begun...doing things

to her, but they hadn't understood what was going on, only that it felt wrong. The killing intent

coming from Kira kept them frozen in place, but the feeling of _safety_ coming from behind them

released it and had them looking at the woman with the glowing eyes. She was beautiful in a

fierce way and though she was obviously very angry it was just as obvious to the children that

she wasn't angry at them. She nodded to the left, telling the kids without words to move out of

the line of fire and they did, curious when she cut her hand and tossed the handful of blood it

caused into a puddle in front of them. She stalked past them, flashing a small, almost

microscopic smile in their direction as she passed, and addressed the scary man directly.

"Hikotu Kira. Interesting that we meet here, of all places. It's not Earth country, but I

doubt the Kazekage and his people will be upset that a citizen of Iwa has killed a child killer, do

you?"

Kira's head snapped up so fast that Nat was afraid he might have given himself whiplash and he

sneered at the woman, who stood totally unaffected by his drastically increased killer intent. Her

smile became predatory, growing both in size and in scare-factor. Kira clutched the little girl in

his hands tighter, a whimper just barely audible from the child as his left hand closed ever tighter

on her esophagus.

"Ookami no Natalia, the deadliest non-nin in Iwa. Pray tell, what are you doing in Suna?"

Nat shrugged as she walked closer to him, casually leaving drops of blood in her wake from her

cut hand.

"Oh, you know. The council wants me dead, so Master is trying to have me move to

Suna. He's in negotiations now. What are you doing in Suna? Hunting again, I see."

The twisted man smirked and licked the cheek of the child in his arms, enjoying her instinctive

flinch.

"Yes...children are so very tasty. Would you like a taste?"

Nat shook her head and grinned her shark grin.

"Nope. However I would like to take your life once and for all, if you would be

amenable."

She bowed regally, keeping her eyes locked with his as he grinned at her and tossed the little girl

away from him and toward the other children.

"You know...I hate a fair fight!"

With that he threw a jutsu, a rare type of Tsuchi jutsu, at the children, who cringed as Nat stood

there and smirked.

Temari didn't know who the woman was really, but she was getting angrier and angrier at

the woman as she simply stood and watched the massive stones pulled from the ground by the

criminal's jutsu hurtling at the children. The wind mistress considered her options, but there were

none, she couldn't save the children. She cut a glance at her brother and could see that his fists

were clenched tightly; she knew that he was just as helpless as she. The two resigned themselves

to watching the children die, but were shocked at what happened next. Just as the stones reached

the children, a shield of blood-red energy sprung up from the drops of blood that the woman had

let fall from her hand as she had passed. Nat laughed a bitter laugh.

"Blood ward. Completely unbreakable. Now, onto business. Hikotu Kira, I told you last

time we met that if I ever saw you again I would kill you. Now, let's dance."

Nat took off, blurring to an impossible speed as she appeared behind Kira and thrust both fists

forward, hitting him in the small of the back and jolting him forward and to his knees. She

followed that up with a powerful blow to his abdomen that had him coughing up blood as she

raked her new claws through the man's gut. Blood sprayed in an arc and hit the wall behind the

criminal, but Nat didn't notice, the only thing she was focused on was making sure that he died.

She watched as the last bit of life twitched from his veins and body as he finally lay still and

silent. Nat quickly an silently cast a katon jutsu and burned the body, leaving nothing behind,

before bringing down the shield that had ensconced the children safely. The kids looked around

the alley, looking for any sign of their attacker. One little girl with bright green ponytails looked

at Nat with wide eyes.

"Where did the bad man go?"

Nat knelt down beside her and placed a now clean hand on the tiny shoulder and gave her what

she thought was a close approximation of a comforting smile.

"He's gone away. He decided that he didn't want to fight with me after all. Now, where

are all of your parents?"

The kids gathered around the warrior, all smiles, though they were sad smiles all around.

"We all live at the orphanage. Our parents were all ninja who died in the line of duty, so

the Kazekage makes sure we have what we need to survive."

Nat nodded and reached out a hand to the kids, allowing the three smaller boys to climb up to her

shoulders and cling to her back while the two little girls grasped her hands and they left the alley,

still talking.

"I am an orphan as well. My parents were Kusa nins, but...met with something they

couldn't defeat. Anyway, where is the orphanage?"

The children led the warrior down the dusty roads of their home toward the orphanage that kept

them alive and well, too absorbed in the discussion they were having about the ninja arts and nins

in Suna to register the two following them. Nat noticed of course, but sensed that they meant no

harm to her cubs and thus, were simply to be ignored for the time being.


	3. Traitor's End

1 Chapter Three

Gaara sighed deeply as he stared at the Tsuchikage.

"The problem I have is this: my brother knows nothing of this agreement and I for one do not want to force him to marry someone that he knows nothing about."

"I truly don't know Gaara-san what to do about that, but we'll have to think of something..."

The Tsuchikage's voice faded out as the three began to think hard for a way to save the young woman so close to the aged Kage's heart. As the three were thinking, the door to the Kazekage's office opened and Kankuro and Temari walked in, puppet and fan on their respective owners' backs.

"Hey Gaara, we just saw this woman kill someone called Hikotu Kira in an alleyway. Should we arrest her or something?"

The Tsuchikage stiffened.

"Was the woman tall with green-streaked black hair and amber eyes?"

Kankuro turned his attention to the strange Kage and nodded cautiously, eyes widening when the Kage sighed in what seemed to be relief.

"Good. She's been talking about hunting that bastard down for a while. Were there children present?"

"Yeah..."

"Let me guess, she ensconced them in a Blood shield and when it came down they acted like they had no idea what had happened after being placed in the shield?"

Again Kankuro nodded warily, that wary look moving on to his sister as the Kage nodded.

"That shield works like a one-way mirror; you can see in, but anyone inside can't see out. She did it to protect them both physically and mentally. She always did have a soft spot for children. She loved the kids in Iwa..."

The door opened again, this time it was a sliver and Nat poked her head in slowly.

"Master? Are you finished with your meeting?"

The Tsuchikage smiled softly at the address and nodded.

"Yes. Why don't you come in?"

He was shocked to the core to see a very light blush steal across Nat's face as she opened the door and then had to restrain himself from laughing hysterically at the sight. Natalia, the single most feared person in Iwa, Kusa and Kiri, the only non-nin to ever receive and complete s-class and the specially created u-class missions of Iwa, the hanyou with the strength of three Kages was standing in the doorway of the Kazekage's office with six children glomped onto various parts of her body. There was one on each of her legs, sitting on the tops of her feet, one hanging from each arm, one clinging to her back and one wrapped around her torso like it was a piling and he was going to drown. The Tsuchikage finally lost his hold on his sense of humor and burst out laughing at his young friend.

"Oh Nat, you just couldn't peel them off you could you?"

Nat simply rolled her eyes and smirked.

"They latched on and refused to let go. What would you have me do Master?"

The nins watched as she looked down at the children with a soft look that seemed almost out of place on her, it was strained as if the muscles involved were unused to being used in such a manner. The Tsuchikage smiled softly at his friend and carefully helped her peel the small ones off her. She crouched down beside them and rested a hand on the smallest boy's head.

"Okay guys, why don't you go back home now and I promise you that I will visit tomorrow and show you some of my little friends?"

The children laughed with excitement and raced out of the Kazekage's office, all smiles. Nat watched them go, the small smile on her face slowly disappearing to be replaced with her normal neutral expression, her eyes blank of everything that would have made her human. The Sand Sibs were shocked at the change, but it only got worse when Councilman Ashiki was escorted into the office and haughtily took a seat to the right of where Nat was standing. He shot a disgusted look at the young hanyou and the Sand Sibs, having seen that look countless times when Gaara was young, felt an instant dislike for the councilman from Iwa. Nat ignored him and faded into the shadows in the corner of the room, much to the shock of everyone unfamiliar with her stealth abilities. The councilman leaned forward a bit and cleared his throat to catch the attentions of everyone in the room.

"Now then, we are here to discuss a political marriage set up between Kankuro of the Sand and the child of the Tsuchikage. Unfortunately the current Tsuchikage has no daughters, so the agreement is void, but I hope-"

"Hold on councilman. The agreement doesn't state that it has to be a blood daughter of the Tsuchikage, just someone that he trusts unconditionally. We have someone like that and I think she will be amenable to the situation."

The councilman was shocked and thought for a long time, trying to figure out who he could be talking about. When he realized who the Kage meant his eyes widened and he stood in outrage.

"Tsuchikage-sama you can't be serious!?"

"Oh I'm serious all right. She is perfect."

"She's a demon!"

Nat flinched ever so slightly at the yelled words that would doom her to death before sighing softly. She knew that this wouldn't work. Once the puppeteer absorbed those words, it was all over for her; she and the other two from Iwa would go home and she would be executed. Unless of course she managed to get herself killed on the way there, but either way she was going to die. She sighed deeply this time and slumped; she didn't want to die. She still hadn't found her parents' scrolls, they were hidden somewhere on the border of Kusa and Ame, but she wasn't sure precisely where and she'd searched every time she was able to get away for years. A shout from the Hokage caught Nat's attention and she stood straight, her ears perked under the illusion for anything that might be out of place. The shout was because the councilman had managed to say something Tsunade didn't like, but Nat was wary, there was something very wrong...

Gaara glared balefully at the councilman, who was hissing derogatory remarks about Nat to the Tsuchikage, trying to get him to reconsider having her in the agreement instead of some simpering noble girl. He saw that Tsunade and his siblings were no happier with the old man then he was and was secretly pleased with his brother and sister for not reacting when they heard him say that she was a demon. He noticed the slight glimmer coming from the shadow that Nat had faded into, but thought nothing of it until the woman was suddenly standing right in front of the Tsuchikage with a kunai buried in her chest. She didn't even blink as she tore the blade out and threw it back in the direction it had come before jumping out the window to follow its path. The nins in the office followed as far as the window before seeing that Nat was returning with someone in tow. She scaled the side of the Kazekage building and threw the person into the office window. She came in after him and kicked him solidly in the ribs to turn him over, but winced with the motion as the wound in her chest refused to heal.

"Who are you and who are you working for?"

The man snarled at her through unruly black hair, his brown eyes sparked with anger and fear as he began a litany of curses that would make a sailor turn green with envy. Nat, however, was not in the mood and thus kicked him again, harder. Her chest was hurting and she knew that she was losing a considerable amount of blood, but her anger at the attempted assassination of her Master made her nearly numb to the pain as her healing abilities sluggishly began to close the wound and stop the bleeding.

"Who are you? I will not ask you again and I'm sure my wolves would love a nice, big meal tonight."

The man sneered darkly.

"There are no wolves in Suna-"

Howls cut him off. Angry howls coming from the dunes just beyond the walls of the desert village. Nat smirked as the man began to shudder in fear at the haunting sound.

"Wolves may not be native to many deserts, but I assure you that my wolves come with me wherever I go. Now, are you going to tell me who you are and why you are here?"

Nat had what the Tsuchikage and the nins in Iwa called her 'scary face', and Tsunade thought it very closely resembled Anko at her most insane. Obviously the assailant was just as frightened by this as any person still holding their faculties would be and decided that it would be best to talk rather than risk being eaten by wolves.

"M-my name is Hiroseki Hiiro, a nuke-nin from Kiri. I w-was hired by someone from I-iwa to take out the Tsuchikage and his bodyguard, if possible."

"Who hired you?"

"Don' know. Some strange hunter-nin."

Nat looked over at her Master, who shared her scepticism. The Hunters were some of the few who actually _liked_ Nat. Nat's eyes caught sight of the councilman, who was sweating profusely and a suspicion took root in Nat's mind. She stalked closer to the nuke-nin, her fangs fully visible and flashing in the sunlight streaming into the room.

"Well now _Hiiro_, what shall I do with you? I doubt you know who truly hired you, so what should I do? Hmm...I remember seeing your name in a Bingo Book once, you're an A rank nuke-nin and would fetch a pretty penny."

The man began to shudder as Nat circled him like a wolf circling her prey. She finally stopped and smirked, her expression lightening slightly.

"Nah. You've given me information that will prove to be invaluable, so this time I will let you go. However, if I ever see you again you will be my pack's next meal. Am I clear?"

The man nodded frantically and Nat relaxed as the wound in her chest finally closed, though the muscles and bone beneath, including her heart, were still struggling to repair themselves, she had stopped bleeding. She nodded to the man and he vanished without hesitation, deciding to get the hell out of there before something else happened to him. After he was gone Nat turned her attention to the councilman, her scary crazy smirk firmly in place.

"Councilman, would you happen to know who hired that man to kill my Master?"

Temari and Kankuro were in the dark at this point, but both were mildly disturbed at the fact that the woman referred to her Kage as her Master. They watched, their suspicions growing, as the councilman fidgeted slightly before rearing up and glaring at the woman.

"You would dare to question me? Calypso Ichi!"

The collar burned, but Nat was far to angry on behalf of her Master to care. She snarled and stepped forward to deal with the traitor when the Tsuchikage's voice cut through the fog of rage and pain.

"KAI! Councilman, you will cease this nonsense right now. Nat, please stand down."

The scent of burnt flesh was heavy in the air and none of the Suna natives, nor the woman from Konoha could figure out where it was coming from. Tsunade held up a hand as the Tsuchikage was about to speak.

"I'm going to request that at least two of my escorts join us here, that way there will be an ample number of witnesses to whatever is going on. Besides, I think that my nins may be of some assistance in this matter."

Gaara nodded and the note was sent out for the Konoha nins wandering the village that Tsunade wanted them. It didn't take long for Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Akamaru and Hyuuga Neji to walk into the office, their expressions bored, curious and neutral respectively. Nat eyed the three carefully, she had hear of both the Nara clan and the Hyuugas and had a deep respect for both clans, knowing that they were fierce fighters and great tacticians. As a canine herself she held a deep respect for the beast-like Inuzuka clan and winked at the dog when he looked at her oddly, causing him to give her a doggy smile. She then turned her eyes to the ground, trying not to wince at the pain from her neck as the collar pulled at the burns.

"Tsuchikage-sama, these are three of my best jounin, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba and his partner Akamaru and Hyuuga Neji. Gentlemen, this is the Tsuchikage, Ganseki Katai, his councilman Aishiki, and his bodyguard Natalia. I wanted you here because you are the best and it seems that Natalia has some suspicions about the councilman. Before we begin though, where is that smell coming from?"

Akamaru whined pitifully and nudged his huge head against Nat's thigh. Nat smiled softly, her first smile in front of humans in years, and soothed the dog by running her hands through the fur at the top of his head.

"I'm fine cousin, just a minor thing, not to worry."

The big, shaggy dog whined again and licked the woman's hand before lying down at her feet and closing his eyes. Nat turned her attention again to the humans in the room, all of whom were staring at her.

"Oi! What did you do to Akamaru?"

The brash young man reminded Nat of an old friend of hers, one she hadn't seen since she was a child and her parents were alive. She just managed to keep a smile off her face as she turned her attention back to the floor. Katai answered for her, deciding that these nins were trustworthy and that it didn't matter if he told them Nat's lineage if the councilman had betrayed them all.

"Inuzuka-san, please don't worry. Nat has a...special relationship with canines, that is all. As to the smell...well, that is something that will be taken care of shortly, in one way or another."

He turned to the councilman with cold eyes and glared.

"Now that an ample number of witnesses are in attendance, I would like to ask you some questions Aishiki."

Neji had always been fascinated with seals, particularly after he had been branded with the caged bird seal of the Hyuuga branch family. Since then he'd taken to studying them in his down time, learning about the more prevalent seals first, then the rarer ones before designing a few of his own, one of which he had helped Tenten make for her weapons scrolls. He was curious about the collar that the woman in front of him wore, it was odd. First off, it was made of metal, like a shackle, and second there were a series of four seals stamped into the otherwise smooth metal. One was a katon seal, followed by a hyuton, next was a strange seal he'd never seen before, followed by a doku (poison) seal. All told it was a very strange thing and when he activated his Byakugan he got an even bigger surprise. There was chakra in the collar, situated just behind the seals. The woman didn't seem to notice, but Neji could tell that she was in pain and very tense as he could see her muscles tensed even without his kekki genkai. Before Neji could puzzle this out the Tsuchikage began to speak again and Neji turned his attention to the old man.

"Now Aishiki, would you care to explain yourself?"

"You're going to believe this...this..._demon_ over me? I assure you Tsuchikage-sama, that this insult will not go unanswered!"

"Answer the damn question councilman!"

Nat's voice was rougher than before, angrier, but she was holding onto her temper admirably. At least as far as Katai was concerned.

"You dare? You dare to speak to me like that? Calypso-"

Katai slammed his fist into the councilman's gut, driving the air from the man's lungs and forcing him to bend over to try to relieve the pain. The councilman's eyes were wide when he finally looked up at Katai.

"That is enough of that. I have let you fools have far too much leeway when it came to Nat. Well that ends now. If I hear you begin the command again I will simply kill you and be done with it, is that understood?"

Aishiki abruptly remembered why they had made this man the Tsuchikage and nodded fearfully, still shooting Nat evil glares that she blatantly ignored.

"Now then, do you know anything of the plot exposed here today councilman?"

Aishiki began to shake his head, when Neji's voice cut through the thick silence.

"Do not bother to lie councilman. I can see the truth and Kiba will smell it if you lie."

The councilman swallowed heavily and nodded slowly.

"Yes. The plot was masterminded by Hoshimi and he managed to convince all of the civilian council and most of the shinobi council. He was right though! You are a demon lover by allowing that...thing to live! She needs to be killed before she kills us all!"

"I assure you councilman, if I wanted you dead I would have done it a long time ago."

Nat's voice came from the shadows and was dead, with no inflection or emotion in it whatsoever. This worried the Tsuchikage, but he knew that it wasn't something he could address right then.

"Did you agree to this plot?"

Aishiki's hesitation was all the answer that Katai needed. The elderly Kage sighed and nodded at Nat, who stepped forward and grabbed the councilman tightly by the collar of his robes, lifting him bodily into the air.

"May I Master?"

The Tsuchikage nodded and Nat carried him towards the window, where the gathered people could hear howls coming from the dunes surrounding the village. It was a haunting sound that sent shivers up the spines of everyone who heard it, even Akamaru and Kiba, the only two who could understand what the howls meant. Kiba shuddered while Akamaru placed his paws over his ears, gaining Neji and Tsunade's attentions.

"What is it Kiba?"

"Those howls...they're hungry. Those wolves are maneaters."

"Not necessarily Inuzuka-san. While they do enjoy the taste of nuke-nin and traitors, they are perfectly capable of finding other meals. They do not hunt humans, only what I give them, so rest assured that the civilians are safe."

Kiba looked at the strange woman in shock.

"They're yours? I thought wolves couldn't be tamed?"

"They aren't mine. I am a part of the pack, alpha. They look to me for guidance and love and I look to them for the same and when I die the one known as Bright Eyes will take over the pack. That is how things are in my family."

Nat was looking out into the desert, finding her pack in her mind before looking at the man in her hands.

"Are you prepared to meet my pack councilman?"

"You damn bitch! Demon spawn! We should have killed you when you were sold to us! I told the Yondaime to kill you, but he preferred to use you as a servant. I knew you would betray us! Calypso Yon!"

Nat winced as the fourth seal of the collar glowed a sickly purple and thin needles hidden in the collar punctured the skin of her neck, depositing their payload of a paralyzing poison into her veins. She knew that she only had about ten minutes before she would be paralyzed, so she had to work fast.

"Master, I should be back tomorrow morning, please do not worry."

"But the poison..."

"Negligible. Farewell Master."

With that, Nat leapt out the window dragging her screaming, writhing prey with her over the walls of Suna and into the desert, following the haunting howls of her pack.

The nins in the office stared at the window, stunned at what had happened, until Katai sighed deeply and slouched in his chair, finally looking like the old man that he was.

"I will be frank with you Gaara-san, Nat is by far my most powerful fighter, but she will accept her execution without complaint if she goes back to Iwa. I refuse to allow that young woman to die such an ignoble death. I am willing to extend the hand of friendship to Konoha if that is what it takes to keep Nat safe."

Again those from Suna and Konoha were shocked at the lengths this Kage was willing to go to for one person and Neji found himself questioning him.

"Tsuchikage-sama, why are you willing to do all of this for one person? A non-ninja at that? What is she to you?"

"She is the daughter I was never blessed with. If I had my way she would be the next Tsuchikage, but that is not to be simply because everyone in Iwa save the Hunter-nins hates her with a passion. And by the way, just because she isn't _registered_ as a nin, doesn't mean she isn't one at heart and in skill."

Katai looked out the window, seeing in his mind the carnage that would befall the ex-councilman as Nat's pack tore him to shreds and Nat finally gave in to the paralyzing agent in the hidden needles. The wolves would watch over her, he knew, but he was still concerned over it. She had taken a serious dose and that poison could be fatal if it was overdosed. The question he really didn't want to answer came from the far-too-smart Nara, as he expected it might.

"What was that command the councilman gave as they left? Calypso Yon, I think it was?"

Katai slouched even further into his chair, trying to think of a way to explain it without giving away so much information, but couldn't. There was no help for it, especially if he wanted the Kazekage and his siblings to agree to the political marriage. Katia sighed and explained.

"The command is connected to the collar she wears. The collar is charged with chakra and has the ability to create more based on the seals stamped into it, one for each different function. The seals are activated by the number that comes after the command word: Calypso Ichi sets off the katon seal, heating the collar white-hot and burning it into her neck. That was the source of the burning flesh smell from earlier. Calypso Nii sets the hyuton seal off, dropping the collars temperature to well below freezing. Calypso San activates a raiton seal that electrocutes her and Calypso Yon delivers hidden needles full of a paralytic agent into her bloodstream. The last seal is one that causes the collar to shrink, choking off her air supply and ultimately suffocating her." He noted the horrified looks of the people around him just before Tsunade exploded with anger.

"WHAT? Who could, no, who _would_ create something so...so..."

"Despicable?"

"Yes! Who would do such a thing? Why haven't you removed it?"

"I can't Lady Tsunade, I wish I could. The only one with the code words to deactivate and remove the collar are the heads of both the shinobi and the civilian councils. As to who would create such a thing...that I couldn't tell you. One of the council members came in with it during a meeting and once they were told what it could do they were only too happy to have it placed on Nat."


End file.
